Eco-Business

With one in five green jobs expected to go unfilled by 2030, LinkedIn’s Pei Ying Chua and Microsoft Singapore’s Joey Tan warn of a growing skills gap. They urge businesses to see green investments as strategic, not as a cost.

Increasing allocations and giving states more freedom on how they can spend EFT funds could make this mechanism more effective, say conservationists. Malaysia's environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi also agrees there is a good basis to make the scheme more permanent, but in-depth discussions must be held with the states, he told Eco-Business.

The federal government says the Ecological Fiscal Transfer (EFT) approach has spurred state governments to expand protected areas and run more conservation programmes. Yet as environmentalists are calling for more EFT funding, our latest analysis finds little transparency on most of the money disbursed, despite some state-level data from Johor and Sabah.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand have named extreme weather as their top concern, putting it ahead of issues like unemployment and economic recession, a study by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute finds.

By Samantha Ho

By Siva Selan

By Robin Hicks

By Samantha Ho

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Chinese and American firms are seeking to export their autonomous driving technologies to Southeast Asia. The signal lesson is that their data-driven models require sensitivity and adaptation to the region’s diverse markets. By Shi Youwei

Farm labourers returning from overseas can, if empowered, form a pool of experienced talent that Southeast Asia’s vulnerable agricultural sector can tap into for food security. By Elyssa Kaur Ludher

Last December's launch of Malaysia's first national EV could spur local component production, but this could be constrained by market conditions while the country's old supply chain, in which the carmaker remains heavily invested, will endure. By Tham Siew Yean

'Stop the chop': Demonstrators rally against deforestation in Sarawak, Malaysia

For years, Indigenous communities in Sarawak fought against logging on their lands. Today, they can claim a rare victory as timber giant Samling has withdrawn from logging native forests in the Baram area. By Fiona McAlpine

By Peter Ford

By Joanne Lin and William Choong

By Prapimphan Chiengkul

By Siti Hafsyah Idris, Lee Wei Chang and Iman Prihandono

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The origin of Covid-19 is believed to be a market selling live wild animals. Eco-Business asked Anbarasi Boopal of Singapore-based animal welfare charity Acres about the link between the exploitation of animals and pandemics, and what can be done to curb the illegal wildlife trade.

Air-conditioning units on a building in Singapore

Improving energy efficiency could meet a quarter of Southeast Asia’s emissions reduction targets. Here is how efficiency could drive Southeast Asia's energy transition.

Southeast Asian nations are racing to bring clean, affordable power to their people, but one country is outrunning them all. How can states make their renewable energy transition a success?

Simon Lord and Pamela Mar on Sustainability One on One

In the first in a new video series where sustainability leaders interview each other about the toughest things about their jobs, Simon Lord of Malaysian palm oil giant Sime Darby Plantation went head to head with Pamela Mar of Hong Kong-based textile and apparel giant Fung Group.

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The Eco-Business Podcast speaks to reporters Nadiah Rosli, Adelia Dinda Sani, Gerald Flynn and Hannah Alcoseba Fernandez about funding limits, data access, and reporting against the odds in one of the world's most climate-vulnerable regions.

Jessica Cheam, Mervyn Tang and Jocelyn Dove speaking at the Sharpening the ESG focus 2025 event

Trump 2.0 may prove to be a "bump in the road" for climate action, but banks and investors in Asia see growth and opportunity in the region for decarbonisation as climate risks grow.

Indonesian environmental campaigners took a novel approach to raising climate awareness by publishing five children's books about the country's environmental issues. This podcast explores their creative process and the public's response.

Podcast on RSPO's new principles and criteria for certifying palm oil as environmentally and socially sustainable.

EB Studio The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil has released new criteria for certifying responsibly grown palm oil. What's changed and how does RSPO respond to criticism that the new standard lowers the bar for deforestation?

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